Houston Rockets star Christian Wood, who is receiving consideration from the All-Star this season, left Thursday’s game in Memphis after rolling the same right ankle that caused him to miss three games in January.
Wood was fouled in a transitional move by Grizzlies guard Ja Morant and, as he fell, hit the ground in agony. After staying on the ground for much of the time limit, Wood initially tried to stay in the game to shoot free throws, as not shooting those throws would disqualify him. But Wood’s teammates dissuaded him from that idea, and he hobbled toward the tunnel – where a wheelchair was waiting for him.
In 20 minutes against the Grizzlies, Wood had 17 points (70% FG) and 7 rebounds while Houston ran to an advantage of 21 points at the time of his departure. For the 2020-21 season, the great 25-year-old man came in on Thursday with an average of 22.3 points (55.3% FG) and 10.4 rebounds in 31.9 minutes per game, including 39.7 % in 3 points. All are the highlight of the career.
Wood’s injury comes at a terrible time for the growing Rockets (10-10), who came in Thursday with wins in six of the last seven games.
Houston’s next game will be on Saturday at home against San Antonio. Considering that Wood was pushed out and that it appeared to be a rekindling of a previous injury, it would be a surprise if he could return quickly. “I don’t know,” said Silas after the game. “It didn’t look great.”